The plan by North Coast Holiday Parks to chop down what appears to be a healthy old gum tree in Banner Park continues what park management has been doing to the coastal cypress pines, an endangered species, on The Terrace Crown Reserve/Caravan Park.
These trees were planted as a memorial to the primary school children who died during the Great Depression of a diphtheria epidemic that swept through Brunswick Valley.
It appears that park management has sought, since taking over the caravan park in 2006, to systematically ‘prune’ these trees without appropriate approvals in place.
A local neighbour, living on The Terrace, has had a run in with park management in the last week about continuing ‘pruning’ of what appears very healthy trees.
Park management sought to call the police when the longtime and respected local voiced his concern about the removal of healthy limbs from the cypress pines, particularly those on the Council road reserve.
It would appear that park management is removing branches that would otherwise interfere with higher-roofed camping vehicles.
What irks is that prior to taking over the park, this southern area of The Terrace Caravan Park was use for camp sites.
Since 2006 park management, rather than use this area for its conventional camping, intensified its use and brought in large vehicles and caravans.
This coincided with the systematic ‘pruning’ of the memorial trees and thus the disappearance of the lower branches on the cypress pines.
Patricia Warren, Brunswick Heads
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